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The 22nd century megalopolis of Mega-City One is home to
400 million citizens, every one a potential criminal, and
the only thing preventing the city from descending into complete
anarchy is the group of elite law enforcers known as the Judges.
You are chief lawman Judge Dredd and it is your job to ensure
that law and order is upheld. But how will you fair against
your old enemies the dark judges and their master Judge Death?...
Judge
Dredd: Dredd Vs Death is an intense first-person shooter
set in the 2000AD world of Mega-City One. The character
is still one of the best creations to emerge out of the UK
comic industry. Over the years he has appeared in a rather
naff movie starring Sylvester Stallone, had two separate production
companies try their hand at audio dramas (Dirk Maggs and Big
Finish - both of which have made exceptionally impressive
productions) and now a serious attempt at making a decent
console game.
First
impressions of this game were dreadful. Poor graphics, impossibly
difficult controls and too many background characters who
look the same. But, stick with it and you'll soon see why
we think this is one of the most fun-packed and involving
games we have played for ages.
You
start off in Justice Central where the trainers put you through
a few simple procedures to ensure that you get the knack of
the basic controls. Arresting perps, shooting targets and
finally entering a holographic computer simulation to test
how you would deal against a real hostage situation are all
training exercises that help ensure that you don't fire at
a civilian instead of hitting them or filling them full of
lead when you are unleashed into the real world.
Once
you've mastered the basics, it's time for you to take your
new-found skills onto the streets to arrest anyone you see
who is up to no good. Sadly, this being Mega-City One, it
seems that everyone is a law breaker. Everyone you approach
is doing something wrong (from loitering to illegal possession
of a hamster). Sadly there are not enough different looking
perps and the list of crimes, while funny, are also too repetitive.
There are nice touches including the squeaking of the fatties
belly wheels, and anyone who grew up with Dredd will
love the way that Rebellion have tried to incorporate a comicbook
feel to the game.
Next
up it's time to track down some crazy vampires, and it is
here that the use of your lawgiver (firearm) comes in useful.
At the flick of a switch you can change your ammo to standard,
heat seeking, ricochet, high-explosive, incendiary or armour
piercing. And, just like in the comics, the gun calls out
the ammo selected - although there is a small icon that appears
on screen in case you can't hear the gun over the sounds of
Mega-City One, it's a hell of a noisy place at times.
"But
I thought this game was Dredd Vs. Death!" I hear you
cry. Ah, fear not. All of this running around is just to get
you used to the action so that you are up for the challenge
later on. And as you run around arresting and killing perps,
the Judge Death story line starts to unfold. Looks like the
cubes the Dark Judges were confined in have been opened and
they are on the loose. But you have plenty of work to do before
you confront them. It is this attention to detail that made
us sit up and applaud this game. You'll get you fight, but
you have to wait... and the anticipation is murder.
There
are some negative points which drag the game down a little.
Firstly the graphics are not as good as they could have been.
However, to be honest I suppose you have to weigh up whether
you want better graphics, or faster, smoother gameplay and
as you'll spend most of the time running around like a loon
I think the gameplay takes priority. Then there is Dredd's
death. He looks like a rag doll and more often than not his
legs and arms twist around unbelievably. Also, what is it
with the advertising? Do we really need to apprehend a bunch
of perps who are illegally smuggling Red Bull? And finally,
until you get used to them, the controls are a nightmare.
Vampires will tear you to pieces while you are struggling
to reload or turn around (which can take ages).
But
the plus points far outweigh the minus. Not only is there
the story mode, but you can unlock plenty of arcade mode games
as you go. The one that provided us with the most fun was
Block Wars. This is a fantastic game where you are a citizen
of blue block and you have to kill as many red block perps
and Judges as possible. But there are countless other games
where you can pit your fighting prowess against psychotic
robots, a ruthless gang or against fellow gamers in a Quake/Doom
head to head battle.
As
I mentioned earlier, there have been two companies that have
produced Judge Dredd audios. And it is to Big Finish
that Rebellion have turned to provide all the audio in this
game. Toby Longworth's Dredd is perfect and it was a sensible
choice on the part of the game developers to incorporate Big
Finish's expertise - it adds a lot to the gameplay.
This
game is sure to keep you amused for months and months and
is certainly something you are likely to come back to time
and time again. While there are a few things that could have
been enhanced, this is currently the closest you'll ever get
to being Judge Dredd.
Nick
Smithson
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